MMM! Lijo limonate! (d-jo d-mo-naté)

I have had several requests for information about the traditional food in Lesotho thus I would like to address this topic thoroughly, it’s fascinating:

           

            Let me begin with the most popular meal, papa and moroho. Papa is the staple starch in the diets of the Basotho. It is served at literally every meal. It is made out of maize meal, it is white, and it has the consistency of extremely stiff porridge. You can cut through it with a fork. Moroho is any leafy green or cabbage that is boiled down to the point that it no longer contains any nutrients. Then, many times, it is saturated with salt. It actually resembles the canned spinach the schools used to try to force feed us as children in primary school. Strangely, this combination has grown on me.

           

            The second staple meal is linaoa le bohobe, or beans and bread. Pretty strait forward. Beans. Bread. What more do you need? The beans are seasoned and slightly soupy. Considering I wouldn’t touch beans until two months before I left the states (my mom can attest to that statement) I think it is a minor miracle that I enjoy them so much now.

           

            Next, there is a meal called stamp or setampe. It consists of maize, corn (yes, it seems there is a difference), and beans cooked in some sort of goopyness or creaminess (I don’t know, it’s thick and it’s grey, that’s the best I can do at describing it). Again, surprisingly satisfying.

           

            Lesheleshele or motoho are the typical breakfast fare. Lesheleshele is a soft porridge while motoho is considered a sour porridge. If there is enough sugar in it motoho is definitely satisfying. I’m not sure how they make motoho, but if I understand correctly it involves leaving the porridge to sit for a few days in water (or something) so that it sours, then cooking it. I’ll give a full explanation as soon as the teachers show me how to make it like they promised.

           

            Finally, and this is possibly the most disturbing (I haven’t developed a taste for this yet), there is papa and lebese, also known as papa and milk. Keep in mind the milk is full fat milk (nearly cream) packaged in cardboard boxes. This is what the schools feed the primary students every Friday for lunch. Papa and milk. Only.

           

            As for protein, there is often chicken involved in one meal or another. Because the school I work at cannot afford to provide the children with meat during the week the primary students are given hard-boiled eggs with one or two weekly meals. However, as soon as the girls reach puberty (considered secondary school) they are no longer given hard-boiled eggs due to the belief that eating eggs makes girls horny and loose. Yup.

           

            Another interesting fact: I recently acquired a massive burn on my arm from trying to turn the bohobe (bread) I was baking. Baking on a gas stove is a completely different experience in itself. I’ve learned many new tricks and skills as far as baking goes. Anyway, the point of this is that when I walked into the staff room the following morning the bo-‘M’e began talking about how I was becoming a true Mosotho; how I would be a great wife because, apparently, the more burns a woman has on her forearms, the better she is at cooking. I don’t quite understand the connection.

           

            Moving on, it is hard to believe I have been in Lesotho for 4 months already. Soon it will be 6 months; then a year will have passed without the blink of an eye. School keeps me occupied, and trips to Quthing every few weekends break up the weeks. There always seems to be something happening even though I am so rural.

           

            This week, for example, my school has had several visits from a local couple that wants to build housing for students at my school. This is extremely exciting for several reasons; many of the students have to walk up to 8 miles to school each morning, the funding is local, and the school desperately needed housing to draw in more students from surrounding areas. The schools tend to compete for students in order to gain recognition from the government. More students means more recognition which means more funding. Speaking of more students, each of my classes has grown by 7 to 10 students each since the last time I wrote. They just keep showing up!

           

            I also gave my first round of tests this week. I have completed grading and recording my Form B mathematics tests. So far, out of 43 students, 11 passed. Fifty percent is considered passing. I didn’t feel so bad after I found out the other mathematics teacher only had 13 of her Form A students pass. I really hope these students are learning as much from me as I am learning from them.  

            I will close for now. Thanks to all who are keeping up with my adventure. It means the world to me. Never worry, I am enjoying myself and learning so much at the same time. Who knew learning could be fun? I hope you will all keep me updated on life in the states as well. I can’t tell you how happy I get to hear about what is going on at home. Mom keeps me updated as much as possible but she can only do so much. But again, thank you for the support! 

Love from the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho,

Sadie

Oh! one last thing, as the days begin to get shorter and the nights a little colder I am beginning to think bathing everyday is going to be difficult. I'll keep you all updated. No worries. At least I still shave my underarms. 

I thought I was finished with school...

            It seems like no time has passed since I last wrote but at the same time it seems like it has been weeks...oh right, it has. I am now an official teacher, having completed two weeks of instruction at Tiping Secondary School. The school year commenced with a faculty meeting held the day before the first day of classes, parents registering their sons and daughters for school the first week of class (and some even during the second week) instead of during break when the office was open, as well as herd-boys showing up a week late due to ‘traditional schools’ (I’m not exactly sure what goes on when they are attending traditional school but I’ve heard rumors that they are taught how to take care of their wives, among other things, and they also get circumcised-- because you aren’t a man if you haven’t been circumcised).

           

            Back on topic. Sort of. I remember being taught in school that in many Latin cultures it is customary to arrive late to any social event, and we dubbed it ‘Latin time’. Welcome to ‘African time’. Our LCFs during training explained to us that where Americans believe time equals money, the Basotho people believe it is better late than never. If you can imagine, my first week of classes began without a timetable drawn up for classes. I am fully embracing this ‘African time’ though. I am learning to roll with the punches (corny! But true). I didn’t know what classes I was teaching or when I was teaching that first Monday until 6 pm on Sunday, and that was a tentative schedule. I didn’t know what or when I was teaching on Tuesday until Tuesday morning. Catch my drift?

           

            Needless to say, everything worked out in the end. No need to sweat the small stuff (wow, I am full of cute little colloquialisms today). So, the first day went smoothly enough. I think the Form B class (equivalent of 9^th grade) was almost able to keep up that first day, but I’m pretty sure the Form A class was lost. When asked by another teacher why they were so quiet in my class they replied that they didn’t know English.

           

            In addition to not knowing what time to teach, and when, and where, one of the teachers decided, on a whim, the first day, that I should take another class in order to be well rounded in the Forms. Thus, I am now teaching Life Skills to a Form C class (honestly, not a bad amendment because I originally wanted the chance to teach Life Skills anyway). Life Skills is an odd compilation of mental and physical health, social skills, environmental issues (??), and social issues like population growth and poverty. It also places a heavy emphasis on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. For those who had no idea, like myself, Lesotho is the 3^rd worst country in the world for percentage of population infected with HIV.   

           

            The remainder of the week passed without incident. I’m not entirely sure yet how many students I have in each class though. It fluctuates from day to day. I think I have around 40 Form A students, maybe 35 Form B students, and possibly 35 Form C students. My Form A class has started to warm up and my Form B class has begun playing tricks on me. Whether or not the students understand me is still up for debate. I sent a From A student to retrieve the class’ exercise books from my desk, as I had finished grading them. He left the room and returned empty handed. When I asked him where the books were he told me, in broken English, they weren’t there. After class I returned to my desk and found the books precisely where I had left them. The teacher who sits next to me informed me that a student had come in looking for my box but it wasn’t there…

           

            For those interested, the school day is set up in 40-minute periods. There are ten periods on Monday, nine Tuesday through Thursday, and six on Friday. There is a twenty-minute break after the third period of the day, and an hour for lunch after the sixth. Often, because Math, Science, English and Sesotho have seven periods a week, they are turned into double periods—80-minute classes. Way too long. If any of my former teachers happen to be reading this, I would welcome suggestions for making this bearable for 8^th and 9^th grade students who have to sit through 80-minute lectures after lunch.

           

            Every morning at 7:45 the students line up for Assembly. This is by far my favorite part of the day simply because the Basotho can sing! Honestly, singing is innate for them. They begin singing in their cribs. It is absolutely beautiful. If I could take these children to the States, they would put every pop artist to shame. They would be rich--no doubt in my mind. Anyway, they begin the assembly with a song, normally a hymn. The hymn is followed by a reading of scripture which is then interpreted by the student who read the passage. Finally, they close with the Lord’s Prayer and any announcements for the day from the faculty. Now, here is the catch: I work at a government school.

            I will close for now as this is becoming another lengthy post. If there are any topics that you would like to hear about please post a comment and I will be more than happy to fill you in! I hope all are well! Family and friends are constantly on my mind. Thank you all for your support!

Best wishes,

Sadie 

Greetings from Lesotho!

(Please overlook any grammatical errors or redundancies—I didn’t have my sister proof read anything!)

            I have been in country for almost three months now and haven’t had the opportunity, until now, to share my experiences with anyone but family. I think it is safe to say I am getting a ‘true Peace Corps’ experience, as the volunteers put it. There is nothing ‘posh-corps’ about my situation. Let me explain.

           

            I arrived in Lesotho with 22 new acquaintances on October 14^th (or 15^th—its all a little hazy after over 24 hours of traveling). We were immediately split into three groups upon our arrival at the Lesotho airport and ushered to three separate villages in the Berea District (Lesotho has 10 districts, similar to the 50 united states, but much smaller considering Lesotho is approximately the size of West Virginia), our training villages. We spent 9 weeks in training, learning Sesotho (the local language), how to teach, and self-health and safety techniques.

           

            English is the primary language in all secondary schools (equivalent to 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th grades) in Lesotho because all their exit exams (graduating exams) are English based: Cambridge tests. Thus, I get to teach Math and Science in English. However, Sesotho is necessary for my everyday life, interacting with the local people.

           

            Approximately a month into training, we were each given our permanent site placements. It was at that point that I learned I would have an additional challenge to cope with, one that other volunteers do not; I would be required to learn another language, Xhosa (the X is a click, by the way). I have been placed in one of the southern districts, Quthing (the Q is a click as well), in the rural mountains where the people take pride in their Xhosa heritage. This is difficult for multiple reasons, the first being I have to learn ANOTHER language. Enough said. More importantly, this is difficult because the students I will be teaching have learned English as a third language (instead of their second like at many other students at other schools) and have been particularly sheltered from extensive use of English considering they live in such a rural area. It also doesn’t help that their teachers (who should be teaching all secondary classes in English-by decree of the Ministry of Education) often teach in Sesotho in order to get their point across. This is particularly harmful to the students because, as I mentioned before, all their exit exams are English based.

           

            Okay, so we finished training, all 23 of us, and swore in as official Peace Corps Volunteers on December 12^th, 2011. Swearing in is a big deal. Peace Corps invited our host communities during training to attend, there were Ministry Officials present and the ceremony was even broadcast on television in Lesotho. Even bigger, our host communities prepared a feast for after the ceremony where they actually killed a cow. That’s a BIG deal.

           

            How rural is rural? I don’t have running water or electricity. I expected as much. Many volunteers don’t. However, most volunteers who don’t have electricity can access it at their school. If the school doesn’t have it at least they can go to a local shop where they can charge their electronics for 5 Maluti (the local currency). I can’t. My father loves to tell me ‘I told you so’(and I’m sure Uncle Berry is getting a good chuckle out of this). Thankfully, I have a small solar charger to hold me over! It charges everything except my computer. Additionally, where most volunteers have cell phone coverage, I don’t. I speak to my parents on the phone when I make trips into my local camp town (equivalent to a capital city) once or twice a month (still trying to work out a system). Doesn’t this just sound better and better? But there’s more! I get to use a latrine! And! I have mastered the art of ‘bucket bathing,’ which consists of boiling water, pouring it in a small basin, and tempering it with cold water. Yay! Don’t worry, I haven’t given up bathing everyday…yet.

The Holidays

            Though I have been experiencing many changes to everyday life since arriving in Lesotho, I recently passed a milestone in my life, my first Christmas without my family. Skipping the emotional details, I spent the holiday with 12 other volunteers in Quthing camp town where another volunteer, Tishina, lives and works (you’ll be hearing more about Tishina because she is the closest volunteer to me and I will be staying at her house whenever I visit the camp town because she has running water, which means a flushing toilet, and electricity!!!). All 13 of us squeezed into her tiny house, utilizing our sleeping bags and pads to the fullest. It was a joyful reunion for many of us new volunteers, as we had been at our site for an ENTIRE week with no one but the Basotho people to talk to (that’s supposed to be funny). We cooked, we sang, we even danced with Tishina’s drunken host family. Where Christmas is traditionally a calm, family holiday in the U.S., Christmas for the Basotho includes family and an excess of alcohol multiple days in a row. Another cultural note: the women in Lesotho do not drink in public. Period. It is commonplace to see drunken Bo-ntate (men) roaming around on a daily basis, but not women. Christmas is the exception J. Needless to say it was a Christmas to remember. I even got a package in the mail from mom and dad on Christmas Eve!

            I returned to my site shortly after Christmas only to turn around and have visitors for New Years. Although I am more than an hour from the nearest blacktop road, Tishina and another volunteer and friend from my training village, Aparna, made the trip out to Tiping to celebrate. It was by far the most low-key New Years I have ever had. Next year promises to be much different if mom and pop Nelson decide to visit!

            Finally, school is scheduled to start on the 16^th of January. I am soon going to have my hands full trying to find clever ways of communicating important topics to students who will probably only understand a third of what I say. I need as much support as I can get, and your prayers can only help!

            Keep in mind this was but a brief overview of what has happened to me in the past three months. Though I have many adjustments to make, I am content with where I am and anxious to start teaching. I am ready for this challenge!

             I do miss many things right now, like hot showers (never again will I take a shower for granted), a flushing toilet (oddly, this is easier to live without—but still…), electricity, cellular service, and many food items (particularly quality cheese and wine), but none of that compares to how much I miss the people in my life who are constantly sending me so much support and love. I wish the best for all of you and hope this new year is promising and fruitful.

With love and gratitude,

Sadie

P.S. Check out a couple photos I posted at the bottom of the blog (my Flicker account). It's not much and I reduced the photo quality, but hopefully it gives you a little bit of an idea. More to come!!

Address for Sadie

Hi, It's Sadie's dad again. We talked with Sadie on Christmas Eve. She was in the camp town of Quthing in a house that has electricity and a cell signal. We haven't talked with her in about two weeks. She was assigned a post about 25 to 30 miles (an hours drive on dirt roads) southwest of Quthing. She will be the first Peace Corps volunteer for this community and will be teaching math and sciences to 8th, 9th and 10th graders - mainly girls. She is adjusting well and sounded good on the phone. She just got a cat to keep in her dwelling to help control mice. It is a little kitten that she named Ralphie in honor of the little boy who wanted the BB gun in A Christmas Story - one of our family favorite movies during the holidays.

She doesn't have regular access to the internet and when she does the cost is prohibitive for a lot of blogging and posting, so it might be spotty as to what goes up on this blog. We do have an address for her if you would like to write. Here it is:

Sadie Nelson, PCV
U.S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 495
Alwyn'skop 720
Quthing 700
Lesotho
South Africa

I'm sure she will appreciate any letters.
Rusty

Group Photo

Sadie sent this picture to us today via email. Looks like a good group. Rusty

Taking off

I'm standing in as blog poster until Sadie can get online. She made it to Lesotho safe and sound. She said in our 3 minute phone call that she won't have phone or internet access for eight weeks. The flight over was almost 16 hours  I have a couple of pics the morning she left with myself and Arletta. She was all excited to get her adventure started and taking these pictures reminded her of our tradition of taking pictures on the first day of school. I know her mother and I were a lot sadder than we look in the pictures. Rusty

The beginning of a great adventure

I have been talking about starting a blog for all friends and family interested in following my adventures and trials over the next two years with the Peace Corps.

Voila!

A little background for those who didn’t know before; I began my application process with the Peace Corps in early January and it was late July before I finally found out my placement. Since then I have been preparing to spend the next twenty-seven months teaching science courses in the south-African country of Lesotho. The first three months in country will be spent in language and culture training. After passing a language proficiency test (let’s hope I do!), I will be placed in a small village and assigned to a school and class/es.

There is much I will not know until I arrive, such as whether or not I will have electricity or running water in my living quarters-most likely I wont! Therefore, there is no telling how often I will be able to update the blog.

I leave in 8 days!